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How to get your rental home fixed fast

Posted at 7:23 PM, Sep 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-13 16:40:27-04

What do you do when your rental needs some TLC, but your landlord takes their time fixing it?

Laquita Greer is renting an apartment at the Apex on Central in Phoenix.

She says she's had issues almost from the time she moved in, but she says the newest headache is the worst.

" (A man) fell through when they were up there fixing the roof," she says.

It left a big hole in the roof and ceiling. She says the roof was patched quickly but still leaks when it rains.  The ceiling was left completely open.

She says nothing was cleaned up properly, even showing us large pieces of insulation that is still sitting outside of her apartment door.

Even worse, Laquita says the day her ceiling caved in, the air condition in her closet started leaking.

"All my stuff gets mildew," she says.

She uses a cooking pot to catch the steady drip coming from the a/c but her closet floor is still drenched.

Nearly three weeks have passed and Laquita says no one seems willing to fix anything.

After her latest trip to the office got her nowhere, Laquita let me know.

Los Angeles based, Pro Residential Services manages and owns several apartments complexes in the valley including Laquitas.

We got in touch with a guy named Jag Patel who didn't seem too concerned at first.  

Saying in part that the roof was fixed but the ceiling was "pending while we filed a claim with the roofing company."  

In addition he said "all other problems in the unit, including the ac have been fixed."

We had seen different when Laquita gave us a tour of her apartment. So we sent Jag a video of what Laquita's apartment looked like.

By that evening, Pro Residential Services sent us an email. It contained pictures of a fixed the hole in the ceiling and the leak in the air conditioner.

Thanks to them for finally fixing this stuff but I'm still waiting to find out what took so long?

Just because a situation is not technically an emergency doesn't mean you have continue to live uncomfortably.

Arizona laws says if the landlord does not live up to his part of the lease, renters have the right to serve them with a 10 day notice of intent to vacate.

It must be certified, and must include the specific portions of the lease that are not being followed.

You must give the landlord 10 days to remedy the problem.

If that does not happen, the law says you can break your lease.

Check out the rules here

Now, that doesn't mean you won't be taken to court, but it does mean you can show a judge that you did exactly what the law requires.

Remember document everything with pictures and make sure to send any correspondence via certified letter.

Call the Assistance League of Phoenix volunteers at 1-855-323-1515. You can also send me an email  joe@abc15.com or a video email explaining the problem.

And you can reach me on Twitter or "like" the Let Joe Know Facebook  and tell me about it there.